A tele-presence system for human-human communications for example, speaker-audience communication in a remote lecture class, tele-presence robots equipped with a pan-tilt motor, a display and a camera can be utilized for physically embodying one participant (e.g. a lecturer, speaker) to other participants (e.g. students, audiences). Major roles of the tele-presence robots include not only providing information about the other participants to the one participant, but also giving conformity to the other participants through social presence enhanced by the tele-presence robot. An operator in one site can control remotely the tele-presence robot moving their head; the robot can move its face with camera to provide the information around the robot in other site to the operator. The tele-presence robot expresses behavior of the operator by imitating a movement of the operator in order to convey his/her intents, characteristics, and circumstances to the other participant.
Controlling the tele-presence robot by using an input device for example, keyboards and controller devices puts cognitive load on the operator, resulting in performance degradation during cognitively complex tasks for example lectures, operating instructions, etc. The operator can forget controlling if he or she is too concentrated on his or her presentation, or the operator can not concentrate on his or her presentation if he or she is preoccupied with operations for controlling the robot.
Also, provided is a robot controlled by using Head Mount Display (HMD) equipped with gyro sensors, which replicates the movement of the operator to the remote robot. However, wearing such sensor device can be burden to the operator. Face covered with HMD results stiff facial expression, which can give less affinity to audiences. Awkward behaviors of the robot due to unintentional movement of the operator for example looking aside should also be considered.